Category Archives: Music

Independent hip hop artist, Frank Peters is known for his dreamy interludes and aggressive style of music, describing his sound as “Party Infused with Real Life.”

Frank Peters has opened for artists like Lil Kim, Afroman, and Juicy J, and is considered a rising star. In 2013 he was MTV’s Artist to Watch and VH1’s Artist On The Rise. Peters’ most recent accomplishment is the release of “50 Shades of Frank.”

The EP starts off with none other than a dreamy introduction, with a smooth jazz-like feel. The track “Mr. Frank” reminds you of a late ’80s hip hop song. Here the artist talks about his talents as a rapper, females and sex. At times what Peters says is muffled and hard to understand.

The next song, “Bang” is pretty self explanatory, it talks about again, women and money, interrupted with the occasional gun shot and cash register noise.

“Limo tint on the window, so nobody can see through, has some ass to the gas, toss the burner by the steeple, the way that boy was hit, that boy had a body full of measles. Dots front and back, up and down to his b-hole. You dealing with a nigga with no chill – zero.”

Not sure who would use the word “b-hole” on a song in this day in age, it sounds like he just needed something to rhyme with measles. This song sounds as if it was meant to be a gangster rap track, but by the lyrics it’s hard to take serious.

Though “50 Shades of Frank” consists of 21 tracks there is an interlude after every song, which cuts the count down by half and the interludes almost identical to one another.

Overall, the EP lacks substance; creativity and a vision are just a couple of components missing. If you plan on taking the typical money, drugs, sex, women and violence route, you also need hard punchlines, all of which clearly do not exist on “50 Shades of Frank.”

Chicago’s Jelani Lateef is a rapper best known for his thought provoking lyrics. In 2010 he launch Manhood Ent., following the loss of his daughter’s mother to cancer, making him a single father with dreams of making it in the music industry.

Jelani Lateef wrote and produced his latest release, “Cold Days and Dark Nights.” The EP starts off with an inspiring introduction (The Pursuit of Happyness) from the actual movie “The Pursuit of Happiness,” about not giving up on your dream.

The EP then goes into “Action,” with electric guitars that take precedence in this song.

“Things are twisted, so now I’ve been enlisted to put it all back together, got the rap feens addicted. I’m trying to push a different agenda, but ignorance is still the bliss.”

“Get them to think before they throw their life away, before they become free labor and barely a teenager. Making license plates or scooping garbage roadside.”

This track touches on the choices many face in our society, so it’s refreshing to see an up-and-coming artist touch base on these social issues.

“Book of Life” tells the story about Lateef’s life struggle and how he went about pursuing his dream. This song delivers a slow and steady pace.

“I found my book of life and took a look. The pages just like a road map, so many paths I could’ve took. Well I better start another chapter, the money, the name and the fame I’m coming after. The devil tried to manage my career, and I didn’t even know his commission was my soul.”

The “Cold Days Dark Nights” rapper continues to talk about how at one time he went after the fast paced lifestyle of fancy cars and women, but somehow grounded himself overcame the trials he faced as an up and coming rapper.

“I’m a Star” has a hard-hitting beat and Lateef’s flow also picks. He goes harder on this track than all the rest of his songs.

Here Jelani Lateef talks about none other than being a star and achieving his goal no matter what challenges he faces.

“Ima get it, as long as I continue to be existing. The definition of a solider I defend my position. A rapper’s biggest fear, I’m too advanced to engineer.”

The Chorus, “No matter what it take Ima get mine. I’m a star, how can I not shine?”

“Look What You Done” visits takes listeners back to a lighter flow, it’s more of a love song. He speaks to an ex-girlfriend and is apologetic for the heartbreak he caused her.

“I hear you doing pretty good, got a home and a seed on the way. I guess you should get a piece of heaven after all the hell that I gave, but you’re a big contribution to the man I became.”

The chorus, “There I was giggling about the games I had played with many hearts, and I’m not saying no names. Then the thoughts occurred, tear drops made her eyes burn, and I said to myself, look what you’ve done to her.”

It’s easy to see where this EP is headed: positive, uplifting lyrics, with a little something for the ladies. While you can respect the grind of one person putting an EP together (lyrics and production wise), it lacks hard punchlines and an attention-grabbing flow.

“Cold Days and Dark Nights” Rating: 5 out of 10

Download Jelani Lateef’s “Cold Days and Darks Nights” or stream it on Soundcloud:

Dave Childz is an up and coming hip hop artist, hailing from The Bronx, NY. He recently released, “Forever Real”, containing seven tracks mixed by Childz himself and Jonny Ca$h of ATFL Studios.

The “Forever Real” rapper’s sound is familiar, reminiscent of artists like ASAP Rocky, Kid Cudi and even Drake. The tracks on his EP have a trippy-trill feel to them.

The first song “Do Better,” speaks of his ambition to continue his journey in the music industry. Childz inspires his fans to never let anyone else deter them from their dream and says, “Don’t let them get you down in what you do, ’cause you the only one dealing with it when it’s through, just trying to do better ’cause you know better and you a go getter.”

The track, “The Crew,” takes on more of a hype flow, sounding more upbeat as Childz talks about trying to achieve his goal with his real friends, “See these dudes that I came with, same dudes this game gon’ get slain with, can you follow my language?” We can probably all agree, success is best with your day ones.

“Paranoid” brings you back to the chill feel that was initially introduced on the EP, with a soft, yet fast pace tempo. Even with a relaxed beat, the song is mentally stimulating and relatable on many levels. Dave Childz talks about the issues that currently plague our society:

“Wanna go to college, get my funds together, but how you going to do that? You ain’t got no cash, back to the street, back to the ave. Can’t shake the feeling that the boys [police] on my ass. Every place I go, I know they looking at me, they out to get me.”

The track “Forever Real,” is about staying true to your craft despite the temptations that are presented as you work hard to reach your goal. The chorus:

“Thank God for these haters, got the top down for these hoes, and I’ve been riding around with my niggas, with my mind all over this dough, ’cause I’d rather be forever real, for real. I swear I rather be forever real, for real. I just need you to stay real.”

Dave Childz’s “Forever Real” is socially conscious and relatable. While the tracks are catchy, they could be easily confused, sharing the same type of sound. More variations, production wise would be beneficially for the Childz’s future music.